Digital Commons Network^™

Measuring Contextual Factors Associated With Experiential Avoidance Using A Behavior Analogue Paradigm, Meaghan M. Lewis

Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between levels of state and trait experiential avoidance across two different contexts using behavior analogue methodology. Performance on the cold pressor task (threshold, tolerance, endurance, and intensity; Zettle et al., 2012) was compared to performance on a modified version of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST; Kirschbaum et al., 1993) to obtain a behavioral measure of experiential avoidance that was standardized across these four behavioral indices. Data were collected from a convenience sample of undergraduate students (N = 133) from college classrooms on the campus of Western Michigan University. …

Comorbid Symptom Treatment In Parkinson’S Disease Using Neurofeedback, Joanne Mcfarland O'Rourke

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine the impact of neurofeedback (NFB) on Parkinson’s symptoms that patients identify as priorities. First, a focus group of patients helped identify priority symptoms, then a pilot study tested protocols resulting from the focus group, and finally, an intervention study using a single subject design was conducted.

In the focus group, tremor and activity planning were identified as issues affecting every group member. The pilot study was conducted with three mid-stage Parkinson’s patients, who received a sensory motor (SM) protocol to address tremor, a SM plus cognition protocol (SM+Cog) for tremor and planning …

A Comparison Of The Effects Of Sustained Silent Reading And Reciprocal Reading On Reading Motivation For Middle School Students With Reading Delays, Margaret Uwayo

Dissertations

Research suggests that secondary students with reading delays may lack reading motivation, which can be defined as the temporal reinforcement value of texts for an individual. However, reading motivation may be a critical component of their acquisition of reading proficiency. The purpose of the current study was to compare the effects of two research-based reading interventions - sustained silent reading and modified reciprocal reading - on the reading motivation of middle school students with reading delays. Participants were four 6th-grade students who were grouped into dyads in a reading intervention classroom. The primary dependent variable was book engagement under pairing …

Comparative Effects Of An Electronic Visual Activity Schedule On Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Increasing Independence In Activity Transitioning, Leisha Leann Tompkins

Dissertations

Young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often have difficulty transitioning from one activity to the next without verbal prompts from caregivers, but caregivers may not always be readily available. Binder-based visual schedules can be used to increase independence in transitioning but can be stigmatizing and cumbersome for the student. The purpose of the current study was to compare the effects of an iPadbased electronic visual to a traditional binder based visual activity schedule for elementary-aged children with ASD to increase independence activity completion and transition. Data were collected using a single-subject, alternating treatment design (A-B-CA- B-C) with three participants. …

The Use Of Principal Feedback From Teachers To Create Effective Leadership, Kevin Richard Macina

Dissertations

In the past decade, K-12 education has undergone many changes, often brought about by national and state policymakers putting a higher emphasis on student outcomes. There are enhanced accountability expectations for all levels of education that have added to the responsibilities of principals. Research can be found on many different areas regarding effective educational leadership. Studies abound to reinforce the need for principals to lead their schools through decisions and actions that are evidence based and data informed. In that body of work, there is a growing attention to the importance of staff, student, and even parent feedback as an …

Evaluation Of A Role-Playing Game To Improve Social Skills For Individuals With Asd, Kate A. Helbig

Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects one in 59 children (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). Impairments in social communication and restricted and repetitive behaviorsare often associated with debilitating outcomes for individuals with ASD. Therefore, it is critical to identify successful treatments to address the social deficits characteristic of ASD. This study investigated the effects of a role-playing game (RPG) on social skill acquisition for individuals with ASD. The primary dependent variable was skill acquisition within the context of the RPG setting. Generalization of skill acquisition outside of the game-context and social functioning was also evaluated. Results indicated that the …

Development Of The Casve Cycle Questionnaire: Confirmatory Factor Analysis And Navigator Score, Brianna Werner

Dissertations

A new career decision-making status measure, the CASVE Cycle Questionnaire (CASVE-CQ), grounded in Cognitive Information Processing (CIP) theory, was created as an assessment of the CASVE decision-making cycle, one of the major components of CIP theory. One purpose of the CASVE-CQ is to determine an individual’s standing among the CASVE cycle phases given how many career decision-making tasks he/she has completed. Six factors, which assess the five phases, with initial and final communication scales, were previously established (Werner, 2017). Therefore, the present study focused on the revision of items, development of new items, an exploratory factor analysis, two confirmatory factor …

Check-In/Check-Out With High School Students, Ashley Murphy

Dissertations

Check-in/Check-out (CICO) has been shown effective in reducing problem behavior (PB) and increasing academically engaged behaviors (AEB) for elementary and middle school students (Mitchell, Adamson, & McKenna, 2017); however limited research has included high school students. The current study sought to evaluate the effectiveness and social validity of CICO for four high school students in a general education setting. During the initial intervention phase, two students refused to participate in the CICO process (i.e., did not attend check-ins or check-outs despite multiple efforts); therefore, CICO was ineffective for these students. For two other students, CICO was ineffective for improving behavioral …

Effect Of Mindfulness On Gratitude And Psychological Wellbeing, David Schultz

Dissertations

Gratitude is a unique emotion characterized by the propensity to be thankful and appreciative for the positive aspects of one’s life as it stands in the present moment. It has been associated with higher levels of perceived belongingness and perceived social support, as well as psychological wellbeing. Similarly, mindfulness refers to nonjudgmental awareness and acceptance of the reality of the present moment. Mindfulness has also been shown to increase one’s connectivity and sense of cohesion with others. The present study examined whether increasing mindfulness in individuals yielded increased gratitude as well as the mediating effect of gratitude on the relation …

Profiles Of Interest In Holland's Theory In Relation To Personality And Sex, Erica L. Mathis

Dissertations

The current study sought to expand the knowledge of latent profiles of vocational interest that are interpreted from a theory-driven perspective. The current study utilized a measure of Holland’s RIASEC interest types as a source of data to explore possible profiles through latent profile analysis. Using an MTurk sample of 303 adults, seven profiles were interpreted in the context of Holland’s theory, specifically using diagnostic signs of the theory to explain possible profile membership. The seven profiles were coined Low Profile Elevation, High Consistency SIA, Moderate Consistency Conventional Investigative, Undifferentiated, High Differentiation Conventional Dominant, High Consistency Investigative Artistic, and High …

Determining Readiness To Take The National Council Licensure Examination For Registered Nurses®, Heidi Elizabeth Monroe

Dissertations

Numerous studies have examined the association between pre-admission and/or during nursing program variables and the outcome on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN®; National Council of State Boards of Nursing [NCSBN]; 2015) but very few studies have examined post-graduation variables. This study examined post-graduation variables associated with the outcome on the NCLEX-RN® examination. The purpose of this exploratory field study was twofold. The first aspect was to identify the benchmark score on a post-graduation test (the Kaplan RN Readiness Exam; Sanders, 2014) correlated with passing the NCLEX-RN® examination. The second aspect was to explore factors that the …

Division Of Student Affairs Student Employees Make Meaning Of Their Intersecting Identities And Work, Jason Ward Foster

Dissertations

A constructivist paradigm guided research to explore how student affairs student employees at two institutions made meaning of their multiple and intersecting identities in the context of their student affairs employment experience. Four current students at one institution provided data via interviews, a focus group, and participant journals while 12 former students at another participated, one via a phone interview whereas the rest submitted written email responses. Document analysis and a researcher journal also served as data sources as meaning and understanding emerged during this study. Through intentional and unintentional development opportunities, students shared stories and painted a picture of …

Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Via Frequency Up-Conversion Technology, Amin Abedini

Dissertations

Ambient energy harvesting has attracted significant attention over the last years for applications such as wireless sensors, implantable devices, health monitoring systems, and wearable devices. The methods of vibration-to-electric energy conversion can be included in the following categories: electromagnetic, electrostatic, and piezoelectric. Among various techniques of vibration-based energy harvesting, piezoelectric transduction method has received the most attention due to the large power density of the piezoelectric material and its simple architectures. In contrast to electromagnetic energy harvesting, the output voltage of a piezoelectric energy harvester is high, which can charge a storage component such as a battery. Compared to electrostatic …

The Politics Of Christian Religious Movements In The United States, David Keith Searcy

Dissertations

This dissertation is an exploration of the religious movements within Christianity in the United States. After discussing the common strategies used in the social science literature to classify religious belonging, I develop an alternative method that leverages associational ties between religious groups and people who are not active despite their identity. I develop theory-driven classifications for people whose religious identity cannot be determined solely on their identification. The remainder of the dissertation tests whether religious movements correspond to differences in the social and political behavior of those in these religious categories. I find significant differences on demographics, religious beliefs and …

The Relationship Between Student Math Achievement And Teachers Utilizing A Process Involving Interim Instructional Assessments, Douglas B. Greer

Dissertations

According to recent national and state level assessments, only about one-third of Michigan students are proficient in secondary math. Previous studies have been inconsistent in demonstrating the impact of an interim assessment process on student achievement, especially with high school mathematics. Moreover, previous studies were not found to utilize Hierarchical Linear Models (HLM) to test such a relationship, especially a three level HLM that links secondary students to a primary math teacher. Therefore, the purpose of my study was to ascertain the extent to which math teachers utilized an interim instructional assessment (IIA) process within middle and high schools, and …

The Relationship Between Painful/Provocative Training Experiences And Capability For Suicide Among Medical Students, Brittney L. Assavedo

Dissertations

The primary aim of this study was to examine the relationship between capability for suicide and painful and provocative experiences related to practicing within the medical profession (mPPEs) among students enrolled in a College of Osteopathic Medicine (n = 114). It was posited that frequency of engagement in mPPEs would predict scores on measures of capability for suicide above and beyond the effects of gender and painful and provocative experiences unrelated to practicing within the medical profession (PPEs). It was also posited that frequency of both witnessing and performing an mPPE would moderate the impact of curriculum component on capability …

Dependability Of Two Group Observation Methods Across Rater And Time, Kayla E. Bates-Brantley

Dissertations

Collecting efficient and reliable behavior assessment data is often a goal for school districts and school psychologists. Unfortunately, the most accurate methods of behavior observations, systematic direct observations (SDO), can be time-intensive and often requires specific training. This often minimizes the number of trained professional available for observation procedures. Planned activity check (PAC), a variation of momentary time sampling, has the potential to combine the accuracy of SDO with efficiency. However, few studies have evaluated the psychometric principals of PAC. The current study sought to evaluate the reliability and dependability of PAC by comparing PAC to an individual-fixed (I-F) SDO. …

The Impact Of Traumatic Brain Injury On Neuropsychological Functioning And Tau Accumulation Later In Life In Military Veterans, Lindsay Eatman

Dissertations

Abstract The following study examines aging veterans that experience a TBI while in service and

compares to older veteran without a history of TBI. The objective is to look at cognitive profile later in life for military veterans with moderate to severe TBI different and compared to older veterans with no history of TBI. Is there a difference in tau accumulations on neuroimaging in military veterans with moderate to severe TBI compared to older veterans without a history of TBI? What is the relationship between the cognitive profile and tau imaging correlates for military veterans with moderate to severe TBI …

Examining The Gender- And Sexuality-Related Cognitive “Stuck Points” Of Men And Women With Experiences Of Adult Sexual Assault: Implications For Cognitive Processing Therapy, Marin Beagley

Dissertations

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is considered a gold-standard psychotherapy protocol for the treatment of posttraumatic stress symptoms secondary to a variety of traumatic events. Despite its demonstrated efficacy, there is research to suggest CPT may not be as effective in reducing PTSD symptoms for men with an adult sexual assault trauma as it is for their female counterparts. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether CPT treatment outcome discrepancies may be attributable to gender differences in posttraumatic cognitions, or “stuck points.” As the act of sexual victimization is incongruent with socially prescribed masculine gender norms, it was …

Exploring Restorative Justice, Suspensions, And Expulsions With African American Males, Dorothy L. Mosby

Dissertations

Zero tolerance programs led to unequal consequences for African American males because the programs targeted behaviors African American students were more likely to receive discipline for, which resulted in an increase of disciplinary situations for the students. With the disproportionate suspensions and expulsions of African American male students in public schools, Illinois Senate Bill 100 addressed the discipline issues to reduce the number of long-term suspensions and expulsions. In the 2016–2017 school year, the state of Illinois implemented Senate Bill 100. The bill reconstructed the procedures on how school administrators suspended and expelled students; Restorative Justice was a technique used …

The Intersection Of Andragogy And Courtroom Practice, Grant Shostak

Dissertations

Learning takes place not only in a traditional classroom setting, but in a plethora of avenues outside of the lecture hall. Learning paradigms like life-long learning and Andragogy, the teaching of adults, have been used by adult educators for fields such as education, finance, accounting, law enforcement, nursing, technology, and many others. A review of the existing literature has revealed an absence of the application of andragogy to the courtroom setting. This paper investigates and discusses the andragogical orientation of successful trial lawyers in Missouri. This study has shown that successful trial lawyers have adapted and share particular principles of …

Taxonomy, Species Limits, And Phylogenetic Relationships Of Anoura Gray 1838 (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae), Camilo Andres Calderon Acevedo

Dissertations

This dissertation addresses several aspects of the diversity and species limits in the nectarivorous bat genus Anoura Gray 1838(Chiroptera: Glossophaginae). Based on morphometric approaches, the current taxonomic arrangement for Anoura includes 8 to 10 species; however, previous taxonomic revisions did not include all closely related species in the genus. In Chapter 1, I investigate the identity of Anoura carishina and its position in the morphospace of the large-bodied Anoura using craniodental and external variables. I analyze traits thought to be diagnostic for these species, including 1) an elliptical Fourier transformation analysis of the shape of the third upper premolar …

A Survey Of Healthcare Workers On Safe Patient Handling And Mobility Resource Availability, Utilization, And Adherence, Kimberly Waltrip

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the current status of safe patient handling and mobility—specifically resource availability, utilization, and adherence to established safe patient handling and mobility standards—and measure any relationships among these factors. This study builds on the reliability and validity of the adapted American Nurses Association’s (2016) Safe Patient Handling and Mobility Self-Assessment Resource. Responses came from a one-shot survey of healthcare workers in direct patient care across several private and Veterans Health Administration healthcare organizations in the Midwestern United States. The risk of injury is higher in patient handling than in many other professions; …

Barriers To Mental Health Treatment In Patients Referred By Primary Care, Rebecca Palmer

Dissertations

Problem: Limited access to mental health treatment is one of many potential barriers to treating mental illness in the United States. Where resources are readily available, reportedly high no-show rates for established mental health appointments suggests further investigation is necessary to identify frequent barriers within that population. This was a quality improvement project to identify common themes in patient-reported barriers to care.

Methods: A 4-question phone survey was offered to individuals that did not appear at their mental health appointment. Data was analyzed to identify the most commonly reported barriers to mental health treatment. Additional data collected includes reported history …

A Quality Initiative To Reduce Pneumonia Readmissions And Mortality In Older Adults, Terri Morris

Dissertations

The United States (U.S.) healthcare system journey for making improvements in the quality and value of healthcare continues. Hospital organizations are required to compose and make publically available their health quality outcome data. The publication transparency and increased availability of local, regional and national health quality metrics, including readmission and mortality rates, to governmental agencies, health plans, investors, other hospitals, providers and potential patient and families’ knowledge, creates a competitive pressure for a hospital to assure their quality outcomes data are the best. Despite breakthrough improvements using innovative care models that target vulnerable and potentially high cost of care areas …

Nitrous Oxide Use For Minor But Painful Pediatric Procedures, Samantha Kremer

Dissertations

Problem: Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is used for mild to moderate pain control and anxiolysis. Registered nurses (RN) as providers of N₂O administration may decrease the number of missed opportunities for pain control or anxiolysis. The purpose of this quality improvement initiative was to evaluate the type of procedures and rate of N₂O administration by providers, and cost difference between them.

Method: A descriptive, cohort-design for pediatric patients in the Imaging and Sedation Department between October through November of 2017 and 2018. Data was compared between physicians in 2017 and either a physician or RN …

Adult-Geriatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Fellowship For The Veterans Health Administration, Karen Scaglione

Dissertations

Problem: Nurse practitioner (NP) fellowship programs assist the novice NP in transitioning from a traditional nursing role to advanced practice. The Veteran’s Health Administration (VHA) utilizes a NP primary care fellowship program. An acute care fellowship may assist with role transition, confidence and competence for acute care NPs. The purpose of this evidence-based pilot project was to develop a transition to practice acute care fellowship program at a Midwestern VHA hospital.

Methods: A prospective, descriptive design utilizing a convenience sample of senior adult-geriatric nurse practitioner (AGNP) students during a pilot study of an acute care fellowship program. Outcome measures …

Education-Based Interventions Effects On 30-Day Readmission Rates For Patients With Copd, Gina Hand-Eoloff

Dissertations

Purpose: This Quality Improvement (QI) project evaluated the impact of an existing education-based program for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and its effect on 30-day readmission rates in one hospital in rural Missouri.

Method: A retrospective chart review was completed on 493 patients with an inclusive diagnosis of COPD from June 1, 2018, to March 31, 2019, using a cohort study design and a two-sample t-test analysis. Additional variables were analyzed to determine if there were predictive factors of an elevated risk of readmission.

Results: The two-sample t-test reveals there is no statistically significant difference between the rates of readmission …

A Vaccine Administration Training Program To Increase Adolescent Vaccination Rates, Claire Jensen

Dissertations

Abstract

Immunizations have been proven to control life-threatening diseases. Often Registered Nurses (RNs) administer vaccines but are unsure how to discuss vaccines with vaccine hesitant patients. Missouri’s adolescent vaccination rates are below its neighboring states. This initiative’s purpose was to increase adolescent vaccine administrations at a Missouri County Health Department (MCHD).

This quality improvement initiative had an observational, cross-sectional, descriptive design. RNs employed at three MCHD clinics attended an adolescent vaccine administration training program (VAT) and completed pre-/post-tests regarding the Advisory Council on Immunization Practices recommendations. Medical record reviews from March 1-April 30, 2018 and March 1-April 30, 2019 compared …

Increasing Nursing Competence And Confidence During Obstetric Emergencies Through Simulation: A Quality Improvement Project, Tram Wallen

Dissertations

Problem: This quality improvement project aimed to improve the knowledge and confidence of the mother/baby nursing staff during postpartum hemorrhages through in situ simulation. PPH is a leading cause of maternal death. Hospitals across the U.S. lack a standard approach to managing obstetric emergencies; the complications of childbirth are often identified too late. Multidisciplinary simulation-based team training has been associated with improved outcomes in obstetrics.

Methods: A convenience sample of 26 registered nurses (RNs) that care for postpartum patients attended a one-hour instructor-led presentation followed by in situ simulations of postpartum hemorrhage. A knowledge assessment and confidence survey were administered …